Furman University Article on Paul's Service

June 2015

When Paul Batson began teaching in the Furman Undergraduate Evening Studies (UES) program, he was younger than most of his students.

Now, after four decades, he is still teaching and still learning.

President of Batson Accounting & Tax, P.A. in Greenville and an adjunct instructor at Furman, Batson says that teaching “forces me to learn more than the students will ever learn.”

He has taught investment management for many years and will teach economics in the UES fall term. But Batson’s commitment to continuing education extends well beyond Furman.

An adjunct professor at Greenville Technical College from 1972 to 1980, Batson served on the Greenville Area Commission for Technical Education board and Greenville Tech’s governing board. He currently serves as chair of the South Carolina Association of Technical College Commissioners, which represents all 16 technical colleges in the state.

And this year when Gov. Nikki Haley had an appointment to the Commission on Higher Education, Batson was named commissioner for public technical colleges.

“I truly believe in the technical college system and what that system does for the population of South Carolina,” he said. “A strong two-year technical college network is a necessity when it comes to economic development in the state.”

When issues concerning the technical colleges or the entire technical college system come before the Commission, the board will defer to him for expertise in making their decision.

Batson also said he believes that workers will need more than a two-year degree or maybe even more than a bachelor’s degree in the near future.

“We’ve got to be more and more committed to higher education,” he said.

Batson opened his accounting firm in 1987. His practice focuses on tax work, small business consulting, and personal consulting.